New Delhi: Marking a historic step, India’s much-awaited Census—being conducted after a 16-year gap—has officially kicked off today, ushering in the country’s first-ever fully digital enumeration process.
The first phase has begun across key regions including Delhi, Karnataka, Odisha, Goa, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and will continue until August 31.
Kerala will join the nationwide exercise from June 16, with residents getting the option of self-enumeration—submitting their details online—until June 30. Following this, census officials will carry out door-to-door data collection from July 1 to 30.
The first phase focuses on housing and household data, covering 33 key questions related to living conditions, assets, family structure, and caste details. In a notable shift, stable live-in relationships will be recognized as married for census purposes.
The second phase, scheduled for February 2027, will focus on population enumeration and will, for the first time, include caste data—making it a landmark exercise in India’s demographic history.
Registrar General and Census Commissioner Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said the digital format will ensure faster processing, with most of the data expected to be released within 2027.
